Dobson Doubles Up

Wilson claims co-angler victory on Lake St. Clair

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 42 pounds even to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Super Tournament on Lake St. Clair Sunday. For his victory, Dobson earned $7,932.

“Two BFL wins in one year is a big deal,” said Dobson, who had a previous BFL win this season on Lake St. Clair in June. “I would have won the Angler of the Year title, too, if I hadn’t bombed on St. Clair in August.

“I’ve had a lot of top -10 finishes in the BFLs, and St. Clair is in my backyard,” added Dobson. “But, it is always changing and always evolving. You have to adjust and find new stuff every time to have a chance to win.

“I focused on a break in about 12 feet of water that had perch, some cabbage and boulders on it,” Dobson explained. “There was a flurry first thing in the morning that lasted for about an hour and a half, and then it would be done. On both days I caught almost all of my weight in the first hour or so. Then I would cull up once or twice by bouncing around to other spots the rest of the day.”

Dobson said that he milked his primary spot with a chartreuse and blue-colored deep-diving jerkbait and a Rapala DT 10 crankbait in the morning. When the bite cooled down he would try to clean up the area with a green pumpkin-colored tube. As the day wore on and he moved around more, Dobson’s primary baits were the tube and the jerkbait.

“I had 22 pounds, 9 ounces on the first day,” said Dobson. “On Sunday, the bite was really tough for me. I had about 15 minutes to go and I was fishing by the boat ramp. I started popping a Yamamoto Senko around on some clean spots and caught a 3-pounder. I don’t know if that fish got me the win, but it culled a 2-pounder and it might have made the difference.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2^nd:          Douglass Lepper, Union City, Mich., 10 bass, 41-10, $2,816

3^rd:          Matt Vermilyea, Perrysburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 41-7, $1,877

4^th:           Mike Trombly, Perrysburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 41-1, $1,314

5^th:           John Tromley, St. Clair Shores, Mich., 10 bass, 40-7, $1,126

6^th:           John Devries, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 40-6, $1,033

7^th:           Wayne Macklin, Fenton, Mich., 10 bass, 39-10, $939

8^th:           William Cisler, Delton, Mich., 10 bass, 39-5, $845

9^th:           John Zubkoff, Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 38-14, $751

10^th:        Patrick Stines, Granger, Ind., 10 bass, 38-9, $657              

Complete results can be found by clicking here. 

Wilson wins Co-angler Division

Terry Wilson of Tillsonburg, Ontario, weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 41 pounds, 5 ounces to win $2,816 in the co-angler division Sunday.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2^nd:          Jermey Jenks, Grandville, Mich., 10 bass, 41-2, $1,408

3^rd:          Dave Hasty, Toledo, Ohio, 10 bass, 39-7, $941

4^th:           Paul Porento, Highland, Ind., 10 bass, 39-6, $657

5^th:           Tony Grubb, Ann Arbor, Mich., 10 bass, 37-4, $563

6^th:           Jason Wallace, Lizton, Ind., 10 bass, 36-3, $516

7^th:           Russell Martin, Canton, Mich., 10 bass, 34-15, $469

8^th:           Matt Carder, Toledo, Ohio, 10 bass, 34-5, $422

9^th:           Benny Gray, Ypsilanti, Mich., 10 bass, 34-5, $375

10^th:        Jon Swartz, Three Rivers, Mich., 10 bass, 34-4, $329

Complete co-angler results can be found by clicking here.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.